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From adding spikes to removing benches, anti-homeless architecture hurts us all

These "solutions" to homelessness issues are making things worse.

Photo by Ashwini Chaudhary(Monty) on Unsplash

"HOMELESS JESUS" by sculptor Timothy P. Schmalz in Toronto, Canada

Have you noticed it's getting harder and harder to find a place to sit in public spaces these days? There's a reason for that. It's a purposeful choice many municipalities are making in an effort to keep people who are homeless from setting up camp or making beds out of benches.

The anti-homeless spikes that make lying down on steps, along buildings and on other flat surfaces have been addressed by communities in creative ways, such as the artists who set up a cozy bed with a bookshelf attached to it over one set of spikes in London. But there are other manifestations of hostile architecture popping up around the world as the homelessness crisis reaches dire proportions in some cities.

Hostile or anti-homeless architecture makes the environment incompatible with comfortable rest and relaxation, which serves the purpose of pushing homeless people out of those spaces (but does nothing to actually solve the problem). And at the same time, it makes shared public spaces a lot less comfortable for everyone.

Cash Jordan shared a bunch of examples of hostile architecture in New York City, from bumpy subway vent covers that prevent people from sleeping on them, to slanted benches you can just lean on but not sit on, to removing benches and seats from public transportation stations altogether.

Not only do such choices make life harder for homeless people, but people with disabilities, elderly and pregnant people and others need to be able to sit for a bit when they're out and about. And all of us could use a little respite from walking and standing sometimes. Hostile architecture choices remove features that make public spaces accessible and usable for us all.

Watch Jordan explain:

"It seems to me the 'hostile architecture' is only kicking the can down the road— if you notice they are not solving their homeless crisis—just keeping people out of certain areas," wrote one commenter.

"That's not stopping people from being homelesss, that's just making everyone uncomfortable," wrote another.

"Cities/people think homeless people will just go away with things like this. Unless you've been homeless (I have) you don't understand the desperation, fear, and embarrassment of it. Whether due to poor choices or not (and it's NOT always, even in America), no one deserves this," shared another.

"As someone with a disability that makes it very painful for me to stand for long periods, that train station would be absolute hell," added another. "So not only is this affecting the homeless population, it affects the many, many people like me with disabilities. I don’t like having to take my wheelchair places if I can help it, but places like that would force me to."

Homelessness is not a simple problem to solve, no matter what anyone says, but putting money into something like this, which doesn't actually address the problem itself, is wasteful in addition to making public spaces less usable. What if we invested that money into quality, affordable housing, programs that address the addiction and mental health issues that often perpetuate homelessness or other initiatives that actually stand a chance of solving the problem at its core instead?

Targeting the homeless population with hostile architecture is unkind at its core, and making public spaces uninviting, unwelcoming and uncomfortable for all is a short-sighted "fix" that doesn't actually help anyone. Let's take a step back, reset our moral compass and create spaces that are useful, accessible and comfortable for all.

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homelessness

Design

Stunning photos of Iranian cultural sites that could be lost if Trump carries out his threat

Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

On January 4, 2020, the President of the United States threatened to destroy Iranian cultural sites in a tweet.

....targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very… https://t.co/p1wqtpTcpt
— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1578178325.0

"Iran has been nothing but problems for many years," he wrote. "Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!"

To be clear, the purposeful targeting of cultural sites is a war crime. The U.S. is party to two international agreements, the the Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Hague Convention of 1954, which specifically outlaw the intentional destruction of cultural property. In addition, our own Defense Department's Law of War Manual prohibits destroying cultural sites, and the U.S. War Crimes Act makes such acts punishable within our own justice system. It doesn't matter if someone else attacks first—a war crime is a war crime is a war crime.

Cultural sites do not belong only to the nation that houses them. Over centuries, countries and governments change hands, and being at war with a current government is not the same as being at war with a country's people or culture or history. That's why historically or religiously significant places, as well as renowned works of art and architecture, are treasures for all of humanity and should be protected as such. To destroy them in an act of aggression or retaliation is short-sighted, and a loss for us all.

RELATED: 10 interesting facts about Iran you probably won't hear on the news

Architectural historian and professor at UMass Dartmouth, Pamela Karimi, shared 36 photos of Iranian cultural sites on Facebook to show what could potentially be lost if Trump followed through on his threat. From the ancient relief carvings of Persepolis to 700-year-old gardens to intricately designed places of worship, Iran is home to some of the world's oldest and most beautiful works of the human hand.

Many of the photographs in the collection were taken by Iranian photographer Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji, and they are simply stunning. Those of us living in the West are used to seeing the icons of Western Civilization—the Parthenon, the Sistine Chapel, the Statue of David—as cultural treasures and are often ignorant to the incredible works of human creativity and ingenuity in other areas of the world. Knowing how photos rarely do justice to a place, these sites in Iran are deserving of our reverence and protection, no matter where we happened to have been born.

Just look at these wonders the photographer shared on his own page.

Nasir Al-Mulk Mosque, Shiraz, (1888)Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

Persepolis, northeast of Shiraz (ca. 550–330 BCE)Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

Chehel Sotoun palace (literally "palace of Forty Columns"), Isfahan (1647)

Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

Vakil mosque, Shiraz (18th century)Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

Tomb of Cyrus the Great, Pasargadae (6th century BC)Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

Shah mosque, Isfahan (1629)Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

Boroujerdiha House, Kashan (1857)Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

Eram Gardens, Shiraz (13th century)Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji Photography/Facebook

RELATED: 8 Iranian women want you to know what it really means to not wear the hijab.

Despite the president doubling down on the idea, the Pentagon has stated that striking cultural sites with no military value would indeed be a war crime, and that the U.S. military has no plans to do so. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters at a news briefing, "We will follow the laws of armed conflict." According to the New York Times, when asked if that meant "no" to the question of whether cultural sites would be targeted as the president had suggested, Esper replied, "That's the laws of armed conflict."

However, the U.S. military gets its final orders from the president himself. Let's hope the commander in chief educates himself on international law, abides by our agreements, and acknowledges what a foolish and tragic mistake it would be to go after any of the world's cultural treasures.

Heroes

The designs for Notre Dame's new roof are eco-friendly and cool AF.

On April 15th, France lost part of one of its most iconic buildings — Notre Dame Cathedral. However, fundraising efforts for the rebuild began quickly, and now there are several design firms competing for the job.

France also opened the bidding up to international designers, and that really fanned the flame of the competition. Within the past month, grand design plans have been pouring in, and some of the most interesting ones go beyond historical restoration to directly address one of the world's greatest challenges — climate change.

Hey, the Paris Agreement doesn't have to be the only innovative green initiative in France, right?

One particularly cool, eco-friendly design is from French design firm Vincent Callebaut. Their "Palingenesis" design is not only a beautiful glass structure, it would also be a light-absorbing greenhouse that's meant to provide the Cathedral with 100% clean energy.

“The new wooden frame is covered with a three-dimensional crystal glass dress subdivided into faceted diamond-shaped elements," the firm noted in a press release. "These crystals consist of an organic, active layer made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, which absorbs light and transforms it into power. This energy, stored in hydrogen fuel cells, will be directly redistributed throughout the cathedral.”

The firm also plans to build an urban garden inside the structure that would be fertilized by aquaponics (natural fish-made fertilizer). The sizable-sounding crops would mostly go to underserved communities in Paris, making the entire design beautiful, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible.

But I'll just shut up and let you look at some more pictures of the awesome thing.

[rebelmouse-image 19561923 dam="1" original_size="1196x1116" caption="Photo via Vincent Callebaut/Instagram" expand=1]Photo via Vincent Callebaut/Instagram

Vincent Callebaut isn't alone in their idea to create a green space on top of Notre Dame. Another French firm also wants to create a greenhouse, but one that's only accessible to birds and insects.

“[The] Notre Dame tragedy should serve the cause of the environment, the greatest struggle of humanness, by being a new world symbol for the present and future generations," studio director Abel Guillaume told Fast Company. people would still be able to enjoy them and the space, but they'll have to do it from behind glass.

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NOTRE DAME - Proposal Une proposition de @summumarchi , donner l’accès aux combles de notre dame pour en faire un parc commémoratif, aux couleurs pourpres en mémoire de l’incendie, tout en profitant de cet énorme élan de générosité à travers les dons pour en faire un sanctuaire pour les animaux et insectes toujours plus menacés dans les villes. Que cette reconstruction serve l’environnement, et démontre au reste du monde le savoir faire de nos compagnons français à travers une architecture magnifiée, technique, intemporelle, au plus haut niveau de ce que l’on sait faire. Un symbole pour les générations futures. #summumarchi #summum #architecture #archi #architects #archidaily #light #dwellspire #house #home #office #villa #lifestyle #archilovers #architecturelovers #architecture_hunter #render #art #design #luxe #paris #notredame #notredamedeparis #god #dieu #church #ecology #environment #nddp
A post shared by 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 (@summumarchi) on Apr 22, 2019 at 7:39am PDT

Studio Nab also wants to provide a refuge for insects, but a specific kind of insect that's already native to Notre Dame — bees. 180,000 bees have resided on the Cathedral since 2013, and thankfully survived the fire. Studio Nab's greenhouse structure would provide them with a safe space that's open to the public so people can learn about the importance of bees and how to properly maintain urban agriculture.

Photo via Studio NAB

One idea that's somewhat speculative is Studio Drift's plan to use recycled plastic found in the ocean to create a new roof for the cathedral. They claim redoing the roof in wood would require cutting down lots of trees whereas upcycling plastic waste is sustainable, and whatever they save in cost they plan to put back into the efforts to clean up the oceans.

It sounds nice in theory, but since the other firms above are using glass and adding more sustainable elements, this idea trails a bit behind theirs.

That said, it's great to see so many designers attempting to incorporate the planet's future into a design for a relic from the past. It'll be exciting to see which one of these ambitious projects wins out in the end.

This viral library isn't all it's cracked up to be. But it's still stunning and important.

China just built a new, futuristic library. And while it's not quite as amazing as it seems, it's still an architectural marvel.

Real books are making a comeback. Yes, everyone loves a good ebook — or even better, a good audio book — but nothing beats the look and feel of a real, honest-to-God book in your hands.

Need proof that print books aren't going away anytime soon? Just check out the new (and lavish) Tianjin Binhai Library, located outside of Beijing. It's an incredible sight to behold.

We're used to seeing impeccably architected libraries, but the appeal is often historic. After just a three-year construction period, the Tianjin Binhai Library is bringing libraries into the 21st century and taking its place among the world's most beautiful.

Well. Sort of.

All photos by Ossip van Duivenbode/MVRDV. Used with permission.

The new library is 36,000 square feet, covering five stories floor to ceiling. But there's a catch.

The main room is touted as being large enough to hold a staggering 1.2 million books. Unfortunately, a miscommunication between the architectural firm and local authorities led the stunning main hall to be approved only for sitting, reading, and gathering ... but not actually storing books.

(The Chinese government has never been the biggest champion of free information.)

Sadly, those bookshelves that line the walls and stretch for thousands of feet, writhing and winding their way around the entire structure, are only for show.

If you look carefully, you'll notice the majority of the books in the library's photos are actually flat decals stuck to the wall. The few real books shown were placed only for promotion and will also be removed soon. The sections of the library that are approved for storage will only hold a couple hundred thousand books.

The giant orb in the center, one of the building's most distinguishing features, has earned the library its nickname, "The Eye of Binhai."

Inside the sphere is an auditorium.

At least that part is real!

Cleverly tucked away behind the stacks are reading rooms, work spaces, and offices.

You could seriously get lost in this library — and a good story or two — for days.

As of October 2017, this library is open to all.

These look like concept renderings, but they're real photos of the actual building as it stands today.

The library's going viral for its unreal architectural beauty, and though it turned out to be a little bit of a disappointment, it's still symbolic of something important.

Worldwide, more and more libraries are shutting down every year. It's sad to think that the places for people to pick up a real book are dwindling — but it's important to remember that libraries are so much more than just the tomes they hold.

They help revitalize communities, promote literacy in under-served neighborhoods, and often offer special programs that aid children, the elderly, disabled people, immigrants, and other groups.

Research is split on whether physical books have any advantage over other forms of reading. But as a community staple, libraries are irreplaceable.

It's awesome to see a new one pop up while so many are closing down, even if it ultimately is a little more surface than substance. People are still excited by the beauty of the building and going in droves to see it in person.

Hopefully the excitement over the Tianjin Binhai Library will inspire more cities around the world to step up their own library game.

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Give the gift of child literacy this Giving Tuesday - Upworthy ›

This pastry chef leans on her STEM background to design impossible-looking desserts.

Dinara Kasko makes cakes. Absolutely stunning cakes.

They're modern, bold, and structural, with decadent shapes and surprising flavors. They're also designed using algorithms and mathematical principles.

All photos via Dinara Kasko, used with permission.

Kasko, 28, trained for years as an architect and designer in Ukraine and enjoyed her craft but wanted to try something new.

Instead of designing the next great skyline, she attended pastry school with a focus on patisserie (think pastries and sweets as opposed to bread or candies). Kasko combined her skills as an architect with her new medium — sugar — and didn't look back.

But with her architectural chops, Kasko doesn't stick to traditional bundt or tube pans. Instead, she designs and prints her own molds with a 3D printer.

Using her background in math and design principles, along with specialty software, Kasko invents her own one-of-a kind pans.

"Generally speaking, this educational background has influenced my taste and style," Kasko says in an interview via e-mail. "Besides, it has taught me the right proportions, how to design and create beautiful objects of the right proportion."

New desserts start on the computer, where molds are designed and perfected with specialty software.

Then the molds are printed layer by layer with a 3D printer.

Kasko then considers the look and feel of the mold to decide what flavors and consistencies fit best. While any flavor of sponge will do, Kasko challenges herself to make her flavors as unique as her designs.

"As for the basic recipes that go with my moulds, I am trying to make them off-the-beaten track with nice textures," she writes. "Also, the form and what is inside of the cake should be well-combined. If it’s the 'Block' mould, then the cake is dense inside. If it is 'Cloud,' then it has a very smooth texture and so on."

In addition to her background in architecture, Kasko is inspired by contemporary art.

She's traveling to an exhibition on Dutch art in the coming weeks where she'll participate as a speaker and connect with other artists, though few will be working in chocolate and butter.

With desserts that dazzle the eye and the tastebuds, Kasko's food pushes the limits of art and physics. Here are a few of her amazing sweets.

1. This eye-popping dessert is a cheesecake with goat cheese and cranberries housed in thin chocolate rings.

Kasko had to carefully piece the rings together to ensure they could support the cheesecake without breaking.

2. That's not concrete, it's cake! Kasko contrasted a hard-looking, geometric exterior with soft sponge cake.

3. Kasko worked with parametric designer Andrej Pavlov to create this almost rock-like mold using the mathematical principle of a Voronoi diagram.

For those of you who aren't math majors, according to some helpful lecture slides from that's the "subdivision of the plane where the faces correspond to the regions where one site is closest." Note: Most Voronoi diagrams aren't stuffed with chocolate mousse.

4. Inspired by the work of Matt Shlian, this dessert is actually 81 individual, unique cakes designed with an algorithm to form a single composition.

And yes, that's delicious ruby chocolate.

5. Kasko leaned heavily on her architecture background for this nearly topographic piece, using the triangulation principle to make an edible construction with a lime-basil flavor.

6. This cherry cake came to life after Kasko played around with placing objects in a confined space.

She started with simple spheres, then switched some to cherries for a more natural look.

The inside is chocolate sponge cake with a crispy layer, cherry confit, and chocolate mousse.

Kasko's work is a beautiful reminder that STEM careers and capabilities aren't limited to the classroom, laboratory, or office.

When Kasko didn't find her niche, she quite literally created her own. By making STEM classes, tools, and software more accessible in schools, community centers, and libraries, we plant the seeds of innovation and ingenuity in the next generation.

English⬇️ Мой первый пряничный домик "Tod's" специально для конкурса "Печенье объединяет" от @maria.leonova где я в роли судьи! Делаем пряничный домик, чем оригинальнее, тем интереснее. Для примера я выбрала один из моих любимых архитектурных объектов, построенный в 2004г в Токио - бутик итальянского дома моды Tod's. Выпекала обычное пряничное тесто. Затем сточила края теркой и залила щели растопленным крашеным изомальтом. Отличная возможность просто сделать пряничный домик для себя и семьи на праздники ☺️ Вы можете сделать любой домик - стандартный или нет, по желанию. Судьи проекта: Cinzia Bolognezi @cuordicarciofo, Anna Rastorgueva @anna.rastorgueva ❗️Все подробности по участию, призам и правилам у @maria.leonova ❗️ Вопросы по заданию пишем в комментариях у @maria.leonova под анонсом. . It's my first gingerbread house "Tod's" for the first international cookies competition - COOKIES UNITE. For the competition my inspiration was an amazing Tod's building, located in Tokyo, that is wrapped in a skin of criss-crossed concrete braces and glass that mimics the trees lining the street. I'll be a mentor in the next stage: Gingerbread house! You have to do some creative and nice gingerbread house. The more creative, the better. ❗️All rules, tasks, information about prizes you can find at @maria.leonova❗️ Mentors in other categories: Cinzia Bolognezi @cuordicarciofo Anna Rastorgueva @anna.rastorgueva #okmycake #pastryinspiration #chocolatejewels #pastryart #cake #kharkov #харьков #chefsofinstagram #gastroart #art #pastryart #dinarakasko #chefstalk #pastry #chefs #geometry #instadessert #foodcreation #foodartchefs #foodporn #beautifulcuisine #callebaut #photoart#cookies_unite_dinara#gingerbreadhouse#tods#tokyo#architectura
A post shared by Dinara Kasko (@dinarakasko) on Dec 23, 2016 at 2:27pm PST

And there's nothing sweeter than that.

Family

15 super-remote cabin photos to take your mind away from, well, everything.

Zach Klein was looking for his happy place.

An internet entrepreneur, Klein says it was around 2007 when he started yearning for a home away from home. A quiet place somewhere in upstate New York. A small plot of land where he could build a quaint cabin and just ... escape.

This was pre-Pinterest, and Tumblr was the newest, hottest thing around, so Klein started a simple blog where he kept photos and stories of some of the most incredible remote cabins around. They were his inspiration.

Thinking no one was ever going to see it, he gave his blog what he admits is a "silly name." He called it Cabin Porn.

Pretty soon, though, Klein decided to share Cabin Porn with the world, and before he knew it, its popularity exploded.

All photos via Cabin Porn, used with permission.

In the beginning, Klein was finding all of the cabins he shared himself.

Soon, the project was so popular that fans were sending in their own photos and stories.

"To date, we've published 1,600 cabins," Klein says. "There are another 16 or 17,000 submitted that we haven't processed yet."

The ultimate measure of the site's popularity: Comedian/lumberjack Nick Offerman has said Cabin Porn is one of his favorite sites on the internet.

There's no doubt the photos are beautiful and the landscapes serene, but Klein says the fascination with Cabin Porn (also now on Instagram) goes much deeper.

First, "I think it glamorizes a life that's simple and small and effective," he says. "I'm surprised how often the remoteness of the cabin is the object of people's affection."

Second, Klein references the basic pleasures most of us recognize from vacations that take us far away from the beaten path.

"It's about being outside, being with friends, being cozy, playing games, reading books, cooking, hiking," he says. "All the simple things we all want but don't get enough of."

Klein adds that our full, busy lives, jam-packed with computer screens and unlimited connection are like "eating bowl after bowl of sugary cereal." Cabin life? It's just the opposite.

Some readers take the fantasy seriously, working to one day build their own remote hideaway.

But for others, just looking at Cabin Porn, and dreaming, is enough of an escape.

As for Klein, he did eventually get his own cabin.

But whether or not you can afford to build a million-dollar masterpiece is beside the point.

Because there's a ton of bad news we can't seem to shake right now. However you choose to escape, just know that everyone deserves a little bit of serenity.

In 2015, nearly 60,000 refugees arrived in the Netherlands needing a place to live.

The Netherlands is a small country, just more than half the size of West Virginia, so housing all of them was going to be a challenge. As the worldwide refugee crisis continues, innovative solutions are needed so that the people fleeing civil war and sectarian violence have a safe place to live.

Refugees arriving in the Netherlands in January 2016. Photo by Arie Kievit/AFP/Getty Images.

In this case, the solution involved, in part, opening up an old abandoned prison as temporary public housing. It was a less-than-ideal situation to say the least.

The country was determined to do better.

In January 2016, the Netherlands launched a design competition called "A Home Away From Home" in which entrants were tasked with designing temporary housing for refugees and disaster victims.

All of the winning designs rethought the idea of public housing, adding amenities and innovations to make the buildings more like fully functioning homes than simply a bed to sleep on.

The winners of the contest recently appeared on display in Amsterdam as part of Dutch Design Week and included things like solar power, water purification systems, and ingenious use of space and material.